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Mayville Giving Up On Keeping Pops In Village

This photo, which is from the Chautauqua Lake Pops’ Facebook page, shows one of their summer concerts.

MAYVILLE — Mayor Ken Shearer shared the news that everyone expected but not not everyone wanted.

The Chautauqua Lake Pops will not return to Mayville this summer.

Shearer said he spoken with Dan Dalpra, owner of the Pops, several times since the contract has expired Dec. 31. The most recent time they spoke was after Dalpra published a letter to the editor in The Post-Journal, saying that Lakeside Park was no longer an option.

“He’s just made the decision he’s not going to come back to Mayville. He just can’t deal with the negative part of it, which I get,” Shearer said during a village board meeting last week.

Shearer has been lobbying for the Pops to return, even when some officials were lukewarm on the idea. “I think it’s sad. It’s too bad because I think it was a great thing for our village. They brought a lot of positive things here,” he said.

Shearer noted that Dalpra originally wanted to extend his contract with the village through the 2022 season by having 2020 voided out, however village officials objected and required Dalpra pay the nearly $4,000 bill for the 2021 season.

But Shearer said the rejection of the contract extension wasn’t the only issue. There is still an unsettled lawsuit that had been placed against the Chautauqua Pops for volume level. In 2021, the Pops was allowed to perform on the lake by changing the direction of the speakers, however the plaintiffs in that case did not say they were dropping the suit. There had also been tension due to the Pops closing a public trail during the concerts. Some residents felt the trail was closed too early the day of shows.

Dalpra has not settled on a place for 2022. The Fish in Bemus Point has invited him to come back there, where they performed for 18 years. Other places in consideration include Jamestown, Celoron, Buffalo, Long Point State Park and Midway State Park.

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